UW–Madison Embraces Design Thinking

In an interview with The Capital Times, Soyeon Shim, dean of the School of Human Ecology at University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses the future of design thinking and the power of collaborative research—at the university level, nationally, and globally. Soyeon has grand aspirations for human ecology and its relevance today, and hopes the school's new building will help enhance the student experience and collaboration across traditional and emerging areas of study. Completed in the fall of 2012, Nancy Nicholas Hall was a renovation and expansion project designed by Sasaki.

"I see a building very differently and this is one of the best ones I've ever seen in the nation and around the world," said Soyeon. "How they renovated the old building and added a new dimension, the integration between the old and new, they made it so aesthetically pleasing. The attention to detail, the user experience, that was a focal point whether it was a space for faculty and staff or a space for students."